1 . Whenever I order food for delivery, I play a little game to guess how many sets of tableware(餐具)the restaurant will provide with my meal. Sometimes restaurants will throw in two, three or four sets for just one order. But I rarely need any tableware at all, and the waste goes into the trash or collects dust in a kitchen drawer.

Researchers working with Chinese technology group Alibaba tried a simple approach to this problem. Instead of just wastefully doling out tableware, the company required food-delivery customers in some cities in China to pick how many sets of tableware they wanted to receive.The default (默认设置)was set at zero. The result, published today in the journal Science, was a 638% increase in the share of no-tableware orders. If applied across China, researchers found, the approach would save nearly 22 billion sets of plastic tableware. The study doesn’t cover carbon emissions, but it’s safe to say that the impact would be significant. It struck me as a useful reminder of the many low-hanging fruits across the economy that can cut waste, and emissions.

Nudging its customers cost Alibaba nothing more than a few hours of software engineering time and the impact it brought was immense. The concept of nudging comes from the field of behavioral economics known as nudge theory. It suggests that a slight action can encourage good human behavior without the need for policies that limit choice or economic punishment that raises the cost of bad behavior. To nudge customers to eat better, for example, a restaurant might organize its menu by listing healthy options first and bury unhealthy ones at the bottom. More recently, some big companies like Google have also begun to use nudges to advance climate objectives.

Behavioral economics broadly, and nudges more specifically, aren’t without controversy. Some might think it assigns consumers responsibility for addressing environmental challenges. But there is another way to look at it. In the absence of necessary policy—and policy is needed一companies can help encourage a widespread shift of consumer behavior.

And all of that behavioral change can add up. The International Energy Agency found in 2021 that small behavioral changes in energy consumption such as walking instead of driving and adjusting the thermostat could in total shave off 4% of global emissions. The more that companies can do to facilitate such changes, the better.

1. What did Alibaba do with tableware waste?

A．It stopped restaurants from handing out tableware.

B．It withdrew unused tableware from customers.

C．It updated the food -delivery device regularly.

D．It allowed picking tableware at customers’ demand.

2. What do the underlined words “low-hanging fruits” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Easily accessible things.	B．Fast increasing orders.
C．Exceptionally tough choices.	D．Widely accepted strategies.

3. What can we learn about nudge theory from paragraph 3?

A．It brings about economic loss.

B．It results from consumption policies.

C．It indicates small action changes behaviour.

D．It implies bad behaviour impacts economy.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Nudge theory affects behaviors.

B．Good behaviors boost economy.

C．Nudging helps build a greener world.

D．Behavioral economics benefits customers.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

When talking about the ancient     1    (architecture) wonders in Shanxi province, which is said to have the largest number of ancient buildings in China, Xuankong Temple in Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan county is without doubt a classic case rip e for study.

In the minds of many Chinese people,     2    (temple) are mostly seen as structures built on the ground. But Xuankong Temple,     3     means “temple hanging in the sky”, or suspending temple, is a strong exception.

The temple was built on     4     surface of a cliff and is one of only seven ancient temples in China with such a status, according to researchers.

Constructed out of wood, tiles and stone during the Northern Wei Dynasty, the temple is made up of two three-story pavilions (亭子) and a yard     5    (join) by staircases and steps. The staircases and steps run along the surface of a steep cliff rising 90 meters above a stream     6     the foot of the mountain.

Seen from below, Xuankong Temple appears     7    (extreme) precarious (岌岌可危的). It is supported by only a few thin scaffolds (脚手架)     8    (rise) from projecting rocks. For that reason, it     9    (select) by Time magazine as one of the 10 most dangerous buildings in the world in 2010.

But “precarious” and “dangerous” are not the right adjectives for this structure preserved for one and a half millennia. Despite several restorations in various historical periods, the temple     10    (survive) the winds, rains and earthquakes in the past 1500 years.

3 . As water levels rise, causing severe erosion, many coastal Puerto Ricans are left watching their homes fall into the sea. A small software company in Puerto Rico called Terra Firma, founded in 2019 by island native Alejandro Mieses, is using satellite data to forecast accurate erosion pain points that might help Puerto Rican city planners better protect their island.

Terra Firma is dealing with the challenge of scattered (分散的) environmental data by creating a single database. Their user-friendly software allows scientists, construction professionals, and government agencies to model and predict environmental risks accurately. Similar to a powerful Google Maps, the software collects data from 1941 to the present, enabling users to predict erosion, landslides, flooding, solar exposure, and wind-related risks for up to 30 years.

This technology, once only available to well-funded projects, is now helping communities and individuals to protect their land. Since Hurricane Maria in 2017, Puerto Rico has focused on rebuilding a stronger island. With Terra Firma’s predictive data on flooding and erosion, city planners can better prepare for severe weather events.

One organization collaborating with Terra Firma is Blue Tide, a non-governmental group devoted to oceanic research and promoting the Blue Economy. After Hurricane Maria damaged coral reefs important for coastline protection, Blue Tide asked Terra Firma to design 3D-printed tiles. These unique tiles, made of clay, will help prevent erosion during future storms. They are shaped like cylinders (圆柱体), creating a nesting space for young coral, and over the next ten years, the clay is expected to dissolve (溶解), forming a complete organic coral reef.

This innovative approach aims to help Puerto Rico deal with erosion caused by storms, and Terra Firma plans to come up with more solutions as weather events get worse. According to Mieses, Terra Firma gives hope to Puerto Rico, which often faces hurricanes, by providing insights to better prepare for future storms and protect important infrastructure.

Currently, Terra Firma operates only in Puerto Rico, but they hope to expand to the southern United States in the next few years. Their work shows how technology can help deal with the effects of climate change on vulnerable coastal communities.

1. What do we know about Terra Firma’s software?

A．It depends on Google Maps.

B．It helps predict possible risks.

C．It is used only by governmental groups.

D．It demands specialized technical knowledge.

2. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．Terra Firma’s latest product.

B．Terra Firma’s expansion plans.

C．Terra Firma’s promising future.

D．Terra Firma’s partnership with Blue Tide.

3. What does the underlined word “innovative” probably mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Creative.

B．Ordinary.

C．Traditional.

D．Official.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To entertain.

B．To persuade.

C．To inform.

D．To relate.

4 . We all love butterflies. Their beautiful wings attract us, and their presence lights up our garden. Well, that’s our view of butterflies, but have you ever wondered what plants think of them?

The butterflies’ eggs lie on the underside of the leaves. The eggs themselves don’t damage plants. However, upon coming into contact with the eggs, the plants become oversensitive. It means that once a plant recognizes a pest, it will cause death in the contacted plant part. When these dead leaves or partial leaf parts break away from the plant, the eggs on them fall off. Along with the hypersensitivity response, plants also produce something special, which can attract animals to cat the eggs, thus preventing damage in the future.

After the baby butterflies come out of their eggs, the caterpillar (毛虫) stage begins. Most caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plants, damaging some of the plants in your own garden. Incredibly, they are major plant pests that bring about major losses to farmers. The next stage is pupa (蛹). The caterpillars begin their change into an adult. They don’t depend on the energy that the leaves provide. Finally, they become adult butterflies that have wings and move from one plant to the other. They feed on the sweet liquid produced by flowers.

While on their search for food, the butterflies carry pollen (花粉) on their body. They are key pollinators that place pollen from one flower to another in ecosystem. Plants that have flowers will create some special features to draw these pollinators’ attention. Certain plants have flowers giving off smells that can charm butterflies when they are looking for a mate. Some plants even have flat flowers to assist butterflies when landing.

Butterflies aid in pollination during their final adult stage. Thus, they change into beneficial insects to plants. This change makes butterflies an important friend of plants, despite being a hated enemy in previous life cycle stages!

1. How does a plant respond to butterflies’ eggs?

A．It tries to get rid of them.	B．It tries to appeal to them.
C．It grows a little better with them.	D．It protects them from being eaten.

2. When do butterflies cause the greatest damage to agriculture?

A．In the period of egg-laying.	B．In the period of pupa.
C．In the period of caterpillar.	D．In the period of adult.

3. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 4?

A．Describe the process of pollination.

B．Show how flowers attract butterflies.

C．Stress the importance of pollination.

D．Explore how adult butterflies develop.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Why do flowers need butterflies’ pollination?

B．How do plants defend themselves from pests?

C．Are butterflies’ life cycles similar to the plants’?

D．Are butterflies beneficial or harmful to plants?

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The ancient city of Kashgar (喀什), which has a population of around 200,000,     1     (greet) over 7 million tourists so far this year. Since the Belt and Road Initiative (“一带一路”倡议)     2     (propose), the ancient city has once again drawn attention as a gateway to opening up to the outside world.

As the night closes in. street     3     (light) come on. Kashgar becomes even     4     (much)alive with tourists joyfully exploring a city with     5     history of more than 2,000 years. Already famous for many years because of its colourful culture and architecture,     6     (tour) has continued to grow rapidly in the ancient city of Kashgar in recent times, with travellers from all around the world going there.

Neil Munro, from Britain, walks into a restaurant with friends     7     (taste) the famous local barbecue and beer. After a two-day stay in Kashgar, the group will motorcycle through several other Chinese provinces including Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan, before finally     8     (arrive) in Laos. This is Munro’s third visit     9     Kashgar. When he first travelled there in 1999, he was shocked by the unique culture and he soon began learning Chinese.

“The people here are welcoming. Kashgar is full of energy,” said Sirpa Jarvenpa, from Finland,    10     took part in the long motorcycle ride along with her husband.

7 . Slowly, a great white shark swims toward the boat and onto a specialized lift. Once the shark is lifted onto the boat, the research team from OCEARCH, a nonprofit that specializes in shark tracking, performs about a dozen procedures.

The work is part of OCEARCH’s efforts to study great whites in the western North Atlantic, a less well-researched population than others around the world. “Here we are at the location of Jaws, and yet we didn’t really know the animals as well as we should,” says Bob Hueter, the chief scientist.

Two young great whites tagged (打标签) in this way, Simon and Jekyll, recently became famous thanks to a social media post that pointed out the pair had been traveling together for 4,000 miles up the North American Atlantic coast. People began to wonder if the sharks might be friends, but the situation is not so simple.

The two males were first tagged off the coast of Georgia in December 2022．The electronic tags transmit (传送) data via satellite when one of the sharks surfaces, allowing researchers to follow the animals’ movements online in real time. When Simon and Jekyll reached Long Island, researchers noticed their tracks were remarkably similar. Then they arrived in Novia Scotia within practically the same day!

Although this was a one-time event, such a similar route for the two sharks over a longtime and distance is significant. Great whites are traditionally viewed as solitary (独行者), but researchers believe they may display some social behaviors like other shark species. One study found that white sharks may remain close while hunting to benefit from food. “Surprisingly, we see more and more that white sharks might fit into that social category,” says Yannis Papastamatiou, a biologist at Florida International University.

However, Salvador Jorgensen, a marine ecologist at California State University, thinks there may be other reasons why the pair followed the same route.

1. What is the purpose of OCEARCH’s efforts?

A．To further study great whites.	B．To attract wildlife lovers.
C．To control the number of sharks.	D．To protect natural habitats.

2. Why are Simon and Jekyll tagged?

A．To distinguish them from other species.	B．To track their travel routes.
C．To enable them to swim long distances.	D．To guarantee their safety.

3. Which statement will Yannis probably agree with?

A．The average size of the species has declined.

B．Many animals like to live in warmer weather.

C．The sharks reached Novia Scotia as expected.

D．White sharks tend to be social animals at times.

4. What might the author continue talking about?

A．The patience the pair showed.	B．The hardship the sharks underwent.
C．Other factors guiding the pair’s behavior.	D．Coastal waters appealing to white sharks.

8 . As a research scholar at the Indian Institute for Science Education and Research, I once monitored birds that inhabited grasslands in Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area in Northeast India. This habitat forms a part of one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth. Yet despite their ecological importance and uniqueness, most grasslands are classified by the Indian government as “wastelands”.

Ecosystems throughout the world are suffering from the effects of unchecked habitat loss and climate change. While all types of ecosystems—forests, grasslands, oceans, wetlands and deserts—feel these effects, there is evidence of bias (偏好) towards the conservation of forest biodiversity. This bi as hurts the preservation of other ecosystems, including the grasslands that make up 24 percent of the Indian landmass. These grasslands are home to important biodiversity and support the livelihoods of millions of people, yet are defined in India by their value in being turned into forests for fighting climate change.

Apart from being costly, the move overlooks the ecological and social value of grasslands by turning them into mono-culture forests, which do not provide the same ecological benefits. Yet, grasslands could be equally good at storing carbon.

India and other countries with substantial grasslands need to recognize, support and prioritize evidence-based scientific attempts that focus on grasslands by establishing grassland-specific restoration efforts, as well as by mapping their extent and the ecosystem services they provide for humans. The time is ripe for abandoning outdated labelings like “wastelands”.

Already, communities like the Todas and the Idu Mishmi people are protecting grasslands in India through collective action and local stewardship (管理), which are helping them connect with the grasslands. With the aim of preserving the richness of nature, the government must restore greater rights to local communities to manage grasslands. Grasslands are an important feature of an ecologically sound India, one that must be preserved for that value above all others.

1. What does the author want to stress in the second paragraph?

A．Forests are hotspots of biodiversity.	B．Deserts badly affect local ecology.
C．Climate change threatens ecosystems.	D．Grasslands need equal conservation.

2. What is the author’s attitude to Indian government’s move?

A．Tolerant.

B．Unclear.

C．Negative.

D．Favorable.

3. Who should be encouraged to protect the grasslands according to the text?

A．Government officials.	B．Local communities.
C．University researchers.	D．International agencies.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Stop Treating Grasslands as Wastelands	B．Take Active Steps to Limit Grasslands
C．Recognize the Polluted Grasslands	D．Transform Grasslands into Forests

9 . You might remember watching Tweety and Sylvester from the Looney Tunes cartoons while growing up. Every time the cat Sylvester would try to eat the bird Tweety, the latter would call its owner and complain about the cat, just as a human would. In reality, several birds are able to mimic (模仿) speech. The most common bird known to do this is the parrot.

Studies have shown that the young birds learn and memorize species-specific songs by mimicking vocalizations (发声) of their father, starting as early as a week after birth. If separated from the father during this sensitive (感觉敏锐的) period, young birds may develop very strange songs.

It is common sense that a singer with a broader vocal range (范围) will be more successful than one with a smaller vocal range. Similarly, male songbirds with the vocal learning ability to learn broader types of songs enjoy higher chances of attracting attention of female. Therefore, such songbirds started achieving broader song learning skills as time went by. Eventually, they ended up with vocal skills so broad that they could not just learn songs from other males in their species, but songs from different species too.

Parrots have been kept as pets for thousands of years, and are probably the most famous mimics. Vocal mimicry in parrots has often caught human’s attention, since they can mimic the difficult vocalizations of human speech learned from their caretakers. The reason for this is not to attract mates. Parrots raised as pets often mimic humans to establish social connections.

In a study on an African Grey parrot, scientists observed that it could not just mimic human speech, but could also learn several hundreds of words and their meanings, recognize objects by names, and even count! The study has made scientists think that parrots are not simply mimicking, but that their vocal ability is very similar to that of human speech. This is a huge discovery, as humans are the only animals known to be capable of using “language” to date.

1. Why does the author mention the cartoon in Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the main topic.

B．To find a solution to a problem.

C．To present conflicts between animals.

D．To encourage readers to watch the cartoon.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A．Male birds are born to have the ability to use their language.

B．Animals start learning language one week earlier than humans.

C．Young male birds are more sensitive to vocalizations than female ones.

D．Language learning needs proper language environment at a proper stage.

3. Why do pet parrots mimic humans?

A．To attract mates.	B．To build relations with humans.
C．To show off their vocal abilities.	D．To communicate with other parrots.

4. How does the author feel about the findings of the study in the last paragraph?

A．Confused.

B．Honoured.

C．Amazed.

D．Disappointed.

10 . Wildlife Preservation Volunteer Programs

Elephant Preservation Volunteer Program in Nepal

This program is suitable for active volunteers who love animals and want to care for the well-being of elephants. No experience is needed as you’ll be working closely with placement staff. The elephant shelter takes in elephants that have medical issues and require care.

Volunteers are accommodated in a local hotel. You should expect to share a room with one other volunteer.

Marine (海洋的) Preservation Volunteer Program in Croatia

This program is suitable for physically fit volunteers who are experienced divers (潜水员). You will use your diving skills to collect marine waste from the bottom of the seabed. You will work within a team on sorting waste out and handing it to the recycling centre.

Volunteers will be accommodated in a hotel. Local workers will clean the accommodation throughout the week.

Victoria Falls Wildlife Volunteering in Zimbabwe

This program is suitable for animal-loving volunteers who want to contribute to protecting amazing creatures and their habitats. Activities include animal tracking, camping out on the reserve and supporting other partner organizations.

Volunteers are accommodated within private rooms at the preservation centre. The accommodation has an open-air area where volunteers can socialize.

Amazon Jungle Preservation Volunteer Program in Peru

This program is suitable for volunteers who care about the environment, like working hard and don’t mind getting their hands dirty. It’s a great opportunity if you’re looking to reset your life by getting out of your comfort zone. You’ll also be developing personally and professionally.

Volunteers are accommodated in local people’s houses. There are running showers but you can expect water to he cold.

1. What do the programs in Nepal and Zimbabwe have in common?

A．They need experienced volunteers.

B．They are suitable for animal lovers.

C．They include dirty work in the field.

D．They require camping out on the reserve.

2. What can be known about the volunteers working undersea?

A．They work on the seabed all the time.

B．They help to keep the environment clean.

C．They are taught diving skills after arrival.

D．They lead a team to explore the marine creatures.

3. Which program provides the hardest living conditions?

A．Elephant Preservation Volunteer Program.

B．Marine Preservation Volunteer Program.

C．Victoria Falls Wildlife Volunteering.

D．Amazon Jungle Preservation Volunteer Program.